Former Fairmont State coach Joe Retton dies

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) — Longtime Fairmont State University men’s basketball coach Joe Retton, whose name is on the university basketball arena, has died.

The university said in a news release Retton died Wednesday.

He was head men’s coach for the Falcons from 1963 to 1982, with a record of 478-95 in 19 seasons, 12 West Virginia Conference regular-season titles and eight tournament championships.

He was twice NAIA National Coach of the Year, in 1969 and 1976; Associated Press Small College Coach of the Year in 1976; and a six-time WVIAC Coach of the Year.

Retton was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1987 and was chosen for the West Virginia Sports Writers Hall of Fame in 1988. He was inducted into Fairmont State’s first Athletics Hall of Fame class in 1993.